Combined parking and show place



Feb. 7, 1939.

C. J. WILLIAMSON COMBINED PARKING AND SHOW PLACE Filed Aug. 2, 1933 F/a. Z

mama Feb.7,1939 2,146,103

UNITED, STATES, PATENT OFFICE r 7 2,148,103 COMBINED PARKING AND SHOW PLACE Charles J. Williamson, Washington, D. 0., al-

signor to l'ark-ln 'lheatres, Inc., Camden, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 2, 1933, Serial No. 683,375

4 Claims. (Cl. 20-112) My invention concerns combined automobile gressively from the screen to the rear of the lot parking and show places such, for example, as or plot of ground. And the parking spaces are outdoor" theaters of the description forming the separated sufliciently to provide a drive-way I2 subject of United States Patent No. 1,909,537, between two adjacent parking spaces for the 5 issued May- 16, 1933. By the invention of that entrance and exit of automobiles and for move- 5 patent spectators of an outdoor exhibition, such ment to and from adjacent parking spaces so as a moving picture, may enjoy the performance that they will front towards the screen and in while seated in their automobiles in what is, in close side by side formation in any one transeil'ect, a parking space that provides the audiversely extending parking space. The parking torium, so that at one stroke seating equipment spaces and the alternating drive-ways, while 10 is eliminated and parking difliculties or problems preferably parallel with one another, extend in aresolved and spectators may enter and leave the direction of their length obliquely or at an the auditorium in their automobiles. An object incline to the plane of the screen 10 so that of my invention is to provide a different and, as parked automobiles fronting on the screen will I consider, amore advantageous arrangement for occupy a position not at right angles to the plane 15 the parked cars in the auditorium than the parof the screen, but horizontally inclined, or ticular one shown and described in the aforesaid oblique, and also at a similar inclination to the patent, length of the parking space. This means that an My invention cons'ists'in whatever is described automobile entering or leaving a parking space by. or is included within the terms or scope of may turn in the adjacent drive-way-at an obtuse 20 the appended claims. angle and thus will require less space in which In the accompanying drawing 1'. illustrate my to make the turn for leaving the parking spot invention as embodied in an outdoor motion picand therefore the adjacent drive-way may be ture theater for the purpose of convenient illusnarrower and thus ground surface or floor area tration and comparison with the outdoor motion may bemost economically utilized. The parking picture arrangement shown and described in the spaces and the intervening drive-ways may be aforesaid patent. curved or theymay extend in straight lines.

In such drawing- As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the parking Fig. 1 is a top plan view of enough of such surfaces are horizontal so that the cars when at outdoor theater equipment to illustrate one emrest are upon horizontal surfaces without any 30 bodiment of my invention; tendency to roll therefrom by gravity, and also Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; with the advantage that the occupants of the Fig. 3 is a similar view of another embodiment cars are not on seats that incline downward with of my invention; a tendency to slide therefrom and compelling a Fig. 4 is a like view of another embodiment of position of the body and the actions of muscles my invention. which are apt to result in fatigue or discomfort;

One feature of my invention is that it avoids and yet while the parked cars are on horizontal the parked cars standing at an incline when stasurfaces the parking surfaces successively furtioned for occupants to see the spectacle, or ther and further from the screen or stage or 40 show, or exhibition, while at the same time afother place of exhibition are sufficiently high so 40 fording a clear view or vision of the show or that the occupants of a rear automobile may exhibit to occupants of cars, in ranks or rows readily-see past an automobile ahead and have behind others. Another feature of my invention a full view of the screen, sta p ace of action avoids the necessity for a right angle turn of cars f the Performance moving to and from parking stations and en- As shown. in Fig. 2 the elevation of parking 1 abling the turn to be at an obtuse angle and therespaces successively further and further from the by economizing in parking space, or area, and screen or stage may be secured by an arrangewithout any sacrifice. of satisfactory view of the ment in which the intervening or alternate drivepicture, show, or spectacle. ways incline downward and forward from a high- Describing in detail what is shown in the drawer parking space to a lower one and the cars on ing: a picture screen it is conventionally illussuch inclined drive-ways may readily and di- -trated and since the theater shown is an outrectly move to and from parking position. Or as door theater the ground surface or area inth'e shown in Fig. 3 a stepped arrangement may be front is marked or laidoil to provide automobile used in which this drive-way and parking space 5 parking spaces ll, parallel and spaced apart promay be on the same horizontal level but at heights successively higher and higher progressively from the screen or stage. of course, suitable barriers will be placed at the forward edge of the steps to prevent the accidental movement of cars 5 thereover and preferably barriers will be provided at the forward side of each parking space arrangement shown in Fig. 2 as a matter of safety as well as to define or locate parked cars properly. The oblique position of the parked cars enables and indeed, the advantage of this sidewise outlook of the car occupants fromthe car parking spaces may be utilized by placing the cars lengthwise wholly parallel with the screen, or end to end in a row, as shown in Fig. 4, with enough space between adjacent cars to allow ingress and egress of a car. This arrangement has the advantage of diminishing ground or surface required, and with the parking spaces level or horizontal, objectionable sidewise slant of cars would not occur.

What I claim is: 1. A combined parking and exhibition arrangement comprising exhibition means with a horizontally extended exhibition surface and alternating' parking and driveways extending in the same general direction as such horizontally extending surface but at an acute angle thereto there being free passage for automobiles by forward movement'thereof between drive and parking ways, the parking ways being adapted to receive automobiles placed adjacent to one another and facing the exhibition means, whereby automobiles passing from the driveway to parking spaces side by side may make a turn at an obtuse angle and park obliquely with reference to the exhibition means.

2. A combined parkingand exhibition arrangement comprising exhibition means and a plurality the screen or stage to be viewed from the car sides,-

cent rows of parking spaces automobiles maysafely move, each such driveways being immediately contiguous a horizontal parking space and of a width to permit endwise movement of automobiles along the same and turning thereof into a selected parking space, and without contact of a parking automobile with one in a selected parking area, the driveway contiguous a parking space inclining downwardly and generally forwardly relative to the exhibition means.

' 3. In a combined parking and exhibition arrangement comprising exhibition means, alternating parking and drive-ways spaced from the exhibition means and extending at an acute angle with respect to the exhibition means, there being free passage for automobiles by forward movement of the latter between at least each driveway and one parking way, each parking way being adapted to receive automobiles in side by side arrangement from at least one of its contiguous drive-ways with the automobiles facingin the general direction of the exhibition means, whereby automobiles passing from a drive-way to parking spaces side by side may turn from the drive-way at an obtuse angle and park obliquely to the exhibition means.

4. In a combined parking and exhibition arrangement as set forth in claim 3 further characterized by the drive-ways being inclined downwardly and forwardly toward the exhibition means.

CHARLES J. WILIJAMSON. 

